WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

[dxmnkd316]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

It's early, so cut me some slack, but where is this?

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

Milwaukee. The Bradley Center is right across the street from UW-Mikwaukee Panther Arena.

The former is being replaced with a brand new arena a block or two away, so I don't know for sure that it'll have ice. Last estimate I saw was about 17,000 for basketball. The Admirals are moving to the latter so that one will for sure have ice.

Biggest downside with both could be sightlines and (in the case of the once and former MECCA) age.

 

[pbr]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

It's time to scrap the final five, at least in its current setup/locale. Attendance is poor, no matter the location. The fact that 2 leagues are exploring a joint tournament is ridiculous. Winning the regular season title should have a benefit. That school should the host the playoff championship. Sure, it may not be ideal for those who want to make the trip, but it would certainly make the regular season more meaningful.

 

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

Winning the regular season title should have a benefit. That school should the host the playoff championship. Sure, it may not be ideal for those who want to make the trip, but it would certainly make the regular season more meaningful.

With all due respect, I see zero chance that the championship is moved to a school site. Granted attendance is not great at a neutral site, but if you go on campus it is pretty much going to be even less for the following reasons:
1) Even if you want to go every year as a neutral fan who just wants to watch hockey regardless of who is in the tourney, you're going to have 10 days notice. Crazy expensive for fans to book last minute travel and folks want to plan ahead more than that.
2) What happens if the #1 seed loses in the first round? Now you have the championship in the middle of nowhere and the local fans don't even care.
3) Assuming the host is in the championship, how many tickets are going to be available for visiting fans? Looking at Houghton, I would say maybe 1,000 at best. Most WCHA members don't have huge rinks and the ones that are winning (and might be hosting) have pretty strong fan bases. Not many visiting fans will get in the building unless you have single game tickets.

I could go on, but even as this year's #1 seed, I wouldn't want the championship weekend in Houghton. It just wouldn't be good for the league as a whole or its fans.

Now if you want the regular season champion to host NEXT year's Final Five at a venue of their choice as a reward for winning, then maybe you have a chance of making it work. But if there is no direct tie to that year's results, maybe you just want to have the schools bid to host it years in advance, or everyone gets it once a decade.

Long story short, I think there are far more good reasons to continue a neutral site tourney than to bring it on campus.

Ryan J

 

[aparch]

Milwaukee. The Bradley Center is right across the street from UW-Mikwaukee Panther Arena.

The former is being replaced with a brand new arena a block or two away, so I don't know for sure that it'll have ice. Last estimate I saw was about 17,000 for basketball. The Admirals are moving to the latter so that one will for sure have ice.

Biggest downside with both could be sightlines and (in the case of the once and former MECCA) age.

From everything I've read, the new Bucks Arena is Basketball First, and Only Basketball. Ice making capability will not be installed in the Bucks Arena. Admirals already announced they're moving to the UW-Mke Panthers Arena (MECCA) for next season.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

From everything I've read, the new Bucks Arena is Basketball First, and Only Basketball. Ice making capability will not be installed in the Bucks Arena. Admirals already announced they're moving to the UW-Mke Panthers Arena (MECCA) for next season.

It's a 10-year agreement. Long term, but hardly permanent.

I don't know that it will or won't have ice, the only thing we know for sure is that it'll have basketball sight lines.

 

[gfmorris]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

If you're going to award postseason tournament sites to regular season champions, it'll have to be for the previous season's winner to host this year's tournament, for the reasons that Ryan J stated. That makes no sense to me.

I still say bring it to Huntsville if you're not going to go to a neutral site. We have the rink and the lodging, and we've put on a conference tournament before (although pretty much everyone who worked that has moved on). The weather's bound to be much better than whatever the Huskies slog through on their way out of town.

GFM

 

[Squarebanks]

If you're going to award postseason tournament sites to regular season champions, it'll have to be for the previous season's winner to host this year's tournament, for the reasons that Ryan J stated. That makes no sense to me.

I still say bring it to Huntsville if you're not going to go to a neutral site. We have the rink and the lodging, and we've put on a conference tournament before (although pretty much everyone who worked that has moved on). The weather's bound to be much better than whatever the Huskies slog through on their way out of town.

GFM

Funny thing is, like Huntsville, Anchorage would be almost a perfect tourney site for the WCHA if it wasn't 2,500 miles from most of the conference. It's got the rink, the hotels, and the flights. And both a strip club and Mongolian buffet across the street from the arena.

 

[Stratus]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

By late march, Huntsville is a 6 hr drive from warm Gulf Coast beaches. It's actually a really convenient layover for a couple days en route to some sun.
And the food trucks are out by April 1st too.

 

[Jimjamesak]

Funny thing is, like Huntsville, Anchorage would be almost a perfect tourney site for the WCHA if it wasn't 2,500 miles from most of the conference. It's got the rink, the hotels, and the flights. And both a strip club and Mongolian buffet across the street from the arena.

Hey, I like that Mongolian buffet!

 

[huskyfan]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

If you're going to award postseason tournament sites to regular season champions, it'll have to be for the previous season's winner to host this year's tournament, for the reasons that Ryan J stated. That makes no sense to me.

I still say bring it to Huntsville if you're not going to go to a neutral site. We have the rink and the lodging, and we've put on a conference tournament before (although pretty much everyone who worked that has moved on). The weather's bound to be much better than whatever the Huskies slog through on their way out of town.

GFM

make all the arguments you want but I've got the killer app. Huntsville has the FOOD. Southern meets seafood. one of the best hockey towns we've eaten in.

 

[AKSWF]

Re: WCHA Pushing To Team With Big Ten, NCHC For Conference Tournaments

Funny thing is, like Huntsville, Anchorage would be almost a perfect tourney site for the WCHA if it wasn't 2,500 miles from most of the conference. It's got the rink, the hotels, and the flights. And both a strip club and Mongolian buffet across the street from the arena.

I was gonna say the exact same thing.


That place is more known now for its poker, don't wanna further risk mucky mucks for anybody. And, that is the nastiest strip clu......ohh nvm.